‘13 Reasons Why’ Is A Powerful Drama About Teenage Suicide

Produced by Selena Gomez, this 13-parter starts with Clay (Dylan Minnette) opening up a box of cassette tapes recorded by Hannah (Katherine Langford) — his classmate and crush— who committed suicide two weeks earlier.

“I’m about to tell you the story of my life — more specifically, why my life ended,” says Hannah. “And if you’re listening to this tape, you’re one of the reasons why.”

And from that moment on, Hannah’s got you hook, line and sinker. Told from her point of view, the tapes slowly unveil how she was bullied, mocked, ignored, mistreated and disrespected by her peers and how 12 students played a role in her eventual suicide.

Anyone who’s ever been a teenager would find the themes here relatable. Each episode is a nuanced and tragically poignant reminder of the ways that kids hurt one another, even though they sometimes didn’t mean to. It’s a tough yet honest story that may hit a little closer to home than you’d expect. (Photo: Netflix)